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Friday, June 10, 2011

Piper Palin Blocks Reporter

Move over, Bristol: There's a new Palin daughter in the public spotlight. As Sarah Palin treks across the country on her "One Nation" bus tour, she's frequently been spotted with her 10-year-old daughter, Piper, the second-youngest of the Palin clan. For most of the trip, Piper has been by her mother's side, a presence whose ubiquity is rivaled only by the gaggle of frantic reporters who are competing for the Mama Grizzly's attention—and, it seems, winning, much to Piper's chagrin.

Unlike her older sister Bristol—famous for her on-again/off-again romance with Levi Johnston, her appearance on Dancing With the Stars, and work as a spokeswoman for the anti-teen-pregnancy Candie's Foundation—Piper has kept a lower profile, as the younger children of prominent politicians often do. There were rare exceptions, like a video that Meghan McCain, now a Daily Beast contributor, made with a smiling, gap-toothed Piper right after her mother became John McCain's running mate. But if you haven't been paying attention to the new, sassier Piper, here's a rundown of her greatest hits. (And by the way—that photo of her flipping off another kid? It's a fake.)

Piper Tells Off a Time Photographer
There's some debate over the purpose of Palin's bus tour: Palin says it's about repairing America, some observers think it's a prelude to a presidential run, and others think it's about self-promotion (or even making money for herself). But someone apparently told Piper it was a holiday—and she's not happy about the attention. When a Time photographer tried to take some shots in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on June 1, she told her, "Thanks for ruining our vacation."Piper Boxes Out a Reporter
Sarah Palin's love-hate relationship with the media—a mixture of disgust at what she sees as liberal leanings along with a love of publicity—is well-documented. Piper has no such conflict: Her disdain for the press is palpable. When a reporter approached Sarah Palin to ask a question June 1 in Philadelphia, Piper ran interference, physically standing between her mother and the journalist. Who needs bodyguards when you have children?

Piper's Cat Bath for Her Brother
As impressive as Piper's attitude-filled appearances on the "One Nation" tour have been, the most adorable moment in her still-young career in the public spotlight came during her mother's speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention. As the elder Palin spoke about her career, life, and political stands, the camera panned to her family, catching a 6-year-old Piper giving her little brother Trig's hairdo a quick cosmetic touch-up. (Full Story)